A Maxanet Private Auction only allows pre-approved users to place bids — anyone else who tries to bid sees a message telling them to contact the admin. Private auctions are useful for invitation-only estate sales, dealer auctions, exclusive collections, or any event where you want to vet bidders before granting access. This article covers how to enable Private Auction, add approved bidders, remove users, and set an Announcement to guide prospective bidders through the approval process.

From your Maxanet Admin panel, go to the Auctions menu and find the auction you want to make private. Click the 3-dot Actions menu on the right side of the auction row and select Edit Auction. On the Add/Edit Auction page, scroll to find the Private Auction checkbox and check it. Click Update at the bottom of the page to save. Once enabled, a new Private Bidders tab appears on the auction dashboard.

Click the Private Bidders tab on the Auction Dashboard to see the list of approved bidders (empty by default). Click the green Add button. Start typing a registered user's name and select them from the auto-complete dropdown. Click the green Save button to add them to the approved list. Repeat for every bidder you want to approve. Users must already be registered in your Maxanet site before you can add them — the Private Bidders tab does not create new user accounts.

If a bidder who is not on the Private Bidders list tries to place a bid in the auction, Maxanet blocks the bid and displays a warning message telling them they must contact the administrator for approval. Their bid is not recorded, and they cannot proceed until you manually add them to the Private Bidders list.

On the Private Bidders tab, find the user you want to remove, click the 3-dot Actions menu on the right side of their row, and click Delete. The user is immediately removed and will no longer be able to place bids in the auction.

Because non-approved bidders are blocked without explanation beyond the generic warning, Maxanet recommends adding an Announcement to the auction telling potential bidders this is a Private Auction, how to request approval, who to contact, and what information you need from them. To set an announcement, go to Auctions → Edit Auction on the specific auction, scroll to the bottom of the page, find the Announcement field, enter your message, and click Update to save. The announcement appears prominently on the auction's public landing page.

Yes. You can add bidders to the Private Bidders list at any time — as soon as they're added, they can place bids immediately.

The bidder must be a registered user on your Maxanet site first, then you add them to the specific auction's Private Bidders list. They cannot self-register and bid in a Private Auction without your approval.

Yes. Check the Private Auction box at any time from Edit Auction. Previously-placed bids are preserved, but new bids require the bidder to be on the Private Bidders list.

Maxanet's approval is per-user account. If someone bids through an approved bidder's account, the system treats it as the approved user. Most clients rely on Terms & Conditions to prohibit account sharing and rely on the honor system.

Yes. Private Auction and Card Required to Bid are independent settings — you can require both approval AND a saved credit card before a bidder can place their first bid.